The Retailer Winter edition_2020

Conclusion When it comes to the challenge of reducing employee headcount while ring-fencing customer experience levels, technology isn’t the answer in isolation. As these examples show, the answer is to build a virtuous human/tech partnership in which technology helps to leverage and amplify human capital, taking fact-to-face customer experience to new levels.

Technology is not only being used to support store staff, it is also being used to ensure they’re deployed effectively and are fully engaged and incentivised. Retailers including Morrisons, Sunglass Hut and Staples in the US are deploying cloud-based granular workforce management solutions to identify both their key trading ‘golden hours’ and sales A-teams. Employees are also being incentivised to meet targets using gamification and real-time performance against store targets. All of this is being achieved using real-time data shared using staff smartphones, tablets and even wearable tech. As for back-office operations technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotic process automation are increasingly taking the strain when it comes to data-heavy repeatable tasks in areas such as setting competitive pricing levels, guaranteeing promotions will be profitable, individual store assortment and ensuring the efficiency of logistics and other value chains.

CHRIS FIELD // chris.field@fieldworksmarketing.co.uk

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